PRIME Minister P J Patterson yesterday appointed Aloun N’dombet Assamba to head the powerful tourism ministry and shifted Portia Simpson Miller, the tourism minister in the last administration, to local government.

At the same time, Patterson announced the creation of a new ministry of development, headed by Dr Paul Robertson, to concentrate, he said, on cutting red tape to facilitate job creation and economic growth.

“I accept that job creation is urgently necessary and requires the same kind of central attention which made possible the control of inflation and stability in the exchange rate,” Patterson told a news conference at Jamaica House at which he announced his new 17-member Cabinet.

“The emphasis on job creation and growth in the economy requires that line ministries are fuelled from the centre to remove whatever bureaucratic impediments may exist, to ensure harmonious relations with all elements of the productive sector,” Patterson said.

According to Patterson, the new ministry, which will be assigned to the Cabinet Office, is to play a co-ordinating role between the public and private sectors in order to expedite the implementation of projects to create jobs.

Robertson, who held the positions of foreign affairs minister, and investment/industry minister during the previous administration, will also have responsibility for the bauxite and alumina industries, the prime minister added.

Following Patterson’s announcement, Danny Roberts, vice-president of the National Workers Union, welcomed the new ministry and described it as a “watchdog ministry” to ensure project implementation.

Clarence Clarke, head of the manufacturer’s group, in his reaction, said Robertson was suited to carry out the role assigned to him, noting that he “demonstrated an ability towards development and management”.

Assamba’s promotion to the tourism ministry was perhaps the biggest surprise of the new Cabinet and was greeted with approval from some persons in the industry.

“I think it is a wonderful move,” said one analyst who declined to be named. “She will do a good job,” said another.

Assamba, who won the South-Eastern St Ann seat for the ruling People’s National Party in last week’s general elections, is a new member of the Lower House.

She was a government senator in the previous Patterson administration and last year was appointed junior minister in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Technology.

Her appointment was widely regarded as a strategic move by Patterson to burnish the image of the ministry and its minister, Phillip Paulwell, who was badly smeared by the NetServ scandal in which $180 million was loaned to NetServ Communications, an information technology outfit which eventually collapsed.

Apparently, Assamba’s performance in the ministry encouraged Patterson to combine the industry and tourism portfolios, arguing that they share “natural synergies” in their search for investors.

Assamba’s predecessor, Simpson Miller, had a rocky tenure in the tourism portfolio and just before the elections had to deal with allegations of professional misconduct at the Jamaica Tourist Board’s New York office.

Her reassignment to the local government, Patterson said, will include a focus on inner-city renewal.

Other significant changes to the Cabinet include the widely expected assignment of Maxine Henry-Wilson, PNP general-secretary to the education, youth and culture ministry, while Senator Burchell Whiteman, who held that portfolio in the previous administration, has been shifted to head the information ministry in the Office of the Prime Minister.

According to Patterson, Whiteman’s temperament, background and training made him “uniquely suited” to also take on responsibility for promoting the values and attitude programme, the prime minister’s pet project which faltered during the last administration.

Trevor Munroe, professor of government, approved of Whiteman’s reassignment to the information ministry in order to address the need for a “fundamental improvement in information to the population dealing with critical questions of how globalisation impacts the life of the farmers, workers and business people in the society”.

Munroe also praised Patterson for responding to the concerns of civil society and sections of his party by not reappointing Karl Blythe to the Cabinet at this time.

“It showed courage,” remarked Munroe.

Patterson told reporters that Blythe, who resigned during the previous administration under controversial circumstances, will be focusing on rebuilding the party organisation in Western Jamaica.

The members of the new Cabinet are as follows:

Prime Minister P J Patterson

Finance and Planning Dr Omar Davies

Local Gov’t, Community Dev & Sport Portia Simpson Miller

Transport and Works Robert Pickersgill

National Security/House Leader Dr Peter Phillips

Agriculture Roger Clarke

Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade K D Knight

Development (Cabinet Office) Dr Paul Robertson

Information (Office of the PM) Burchell Whiteman

Education, Youth & Culture Maxine Henry-Wilson

Health John Junor

Attorney-General/Justice A J Nicholson

Commerce, Science & Technology Phillip Paulwell

Water & Housing Donald Buchanan

Labour & Social Security Horace Dalley

Land & Environment Dean Peart

Industry & Tourism Aloun Assamba